Anyone else jump from 3G Tundra to 4G Taco?

Lots of Toyota history behind me…. An 05 X Runner, ‘11 Tundra, and now ‘23 Tundra.

I like my Tundra fine… but I read too many forums and I feel like I’m driving a time bomb lol. I like to keep vehicles for a lot of miles so if the engine goes inside after 60k the system a huge problem for me. I’m not officially part of the recall, but there’s trucks all over the date ranges blowing up so I’m not sure I feel safe, I’d almost rather be part of the recall and know I’m covered.

Anyway, I’m toying with the mental gymnastics of trading for a 25 TRD OR hybrid. My trade in value probably sucks, which is frustrating. But… curious if anyone else made similar switch?

I don’t tow. Maybe a small boat in the future. I have 5 kids so passengers are frequent, but this would not be the family vehicle. I’m miffed about the lack of storage with hybrid model, but maybe I can still make it work? I drive to work and take hunting trips. Pretty simple needs.

I'm hoping for a reliable/bulletproof peace of mind truck, if that even exists anymore.

 

I've ridden in Tundras, but never owned one.
Back seats in the Tacoma are much smaller.
I'd definitely take some of the family on a test drive before you buy one.
I'd fear that you'd miss the room in the Tundra, even if you're not utilizing all of the seats regularly.

 

Coming from a gen 2 Tundra, looked hard at the gen 3 but just too many issues. I don’t have kids at home so rear seat room is a not an issue. Definitely glad I went with the Tacoma! The only thing I miss is that wonderful sounding V8 with the DirtyDeeds exhaust. I didn't get the Hybrid, but the power feels similar. Hunting is a game changer with the Tacoma it’s far more capable than the Tundra. If you do go gen4 off road? Get one with the SDM! I use it often, makes the ride off road so much better.

 

yeah, I definitely need to actually sit in one and evaluate. Dimensions are smaller than the Tundra, but bigger than the 3rd row of our old Subaru Ascent (family hauler before the Sienna), so maybe it’s not that bad.

I feel like I need to get out of this current truck or buy the mega extended warranty, which burns me a little to have to do that to feel comfortable.

 

Haven't owned a tundra, so feel free to stop reading here.

Longer answer if you're still interested is that it feels like the Tacoma is jack of all trades, master of none, except reliability. I've been with people on two track trails who have a full-size truck and have trouble getting through, but the Tacoma fits nicely anywhere in the woods really. You can get three smallish people in the backseat for very short trips, two for longer if there're average sized but not three big people for sure for any length of time. For me it's daily driver, hauler for house and land projects, towing only up to max 3000 pounds but for long trips, and trips to the middle of nowhere in the woods for fishing. The long bed OR is perfect, and the only sacrifice is long wheelbase. But I don't have kids and only need to put a dog in the backseat. So the tip about getting the kids in the backseat to see how they fit currently and projecting for future growth and occupancy is a very important one.

 

I went from a 14 Tundra to a 4th gen tacoma. The new gagets are fun but the bed is way too small. Can't do any serious work. I end up hauling a trailer twice as much as in the past.

 

We went from a 19 Tundra to a 24 Sport Tacoma. Love the truck except NO back seat room. We travel and miss the huge back seat area. I don’t miss the shitty gas mileage. Our Sport averages 21-22 around town and minimal daily highway driving. Tundra was a solid 13.

 

I made the exact swap you're considering.

2023 SR5 Tundra to 2025 TRD OR Tacoma. Hated the Tundra so much that I ended and paid off the lease early.

 

I joined the FB gen 3 tuna group and I see lots of pics of them on flatbeds daily. Not a lot 25’s tho but it’s still early. If I was going to go 1/2 ton again, it’d be a F150 2.7 or 5.0. The engines seem good but they have the crap 10 spd transmission. The only truck that seems solid is the new taco tbh. This is why I’m thinking about a Camry again haha.

 

I just rented a 2025 Camry Hybrid LE.
I was so impressed. For a base model Camry, I can't believe how good it is. In fact, the LE model is the one I'd get, you can't get a better car for $28k new.
Solid, well built. Cool interior design, 0-60 in 6.4, it is definitely quicker than expected.
And it only used 4.4 gallons of fuel over 232 miles .(who knows how full the tank was, but quick maff says over 51 mpg in AZ heat and me frequently confirming it's decently swift)

I was thinking of replacing my Titan with a Tacoma, but now I'm thinking of keeping the Titan and getting a new Camry for daily.

 

I had a 2023 Tundra SR5..

The Tacoma drives better imo. More torque at low rpms… My only regret is the space for the kids in the back, but I knew that going in and the back roll down window.

Sold it right before the recall.

 

I had a 2.5 gen Tundra. Traded for my 25 long bed OR. The Tacoma turning radius is wider feeling than the Tundra. The back seat is tiny. .i am 6’3 and the extra length inches the Tundra bed had matters more than I thought sleeping in it. The fuel tank is too small on the Tacoma. It drives more comfortably engine torque range wise. The seats are sportier and not lazy boy like the tundra ones . The OR shocks go from soft to really hard and feel like bottoming out. The Tacoma gets 17.5 MPG and the Tundra got 11. The Tacoma’s brakes are smaller and it’s noticeable towing. The power to tow is there though. I probably should have gotten a SR5 instead of Premium as I turned most of the stiff off because it’s annoying ( although I like the fake leather seats and larger screen not worth 10k) I’m on the fence about trading it for a Grenadier

 

Did you buy that tundra used? It looks just like mine I traded in...

 

What's the build quality like in the Grenadier? The more of them I see the more they look like crap to me. There doesn't seem to be much to them I'm thinking a deer strike would demolish the entire front end.

I also thought I seen something about recalls and constant issues with them.

 

Agreed. I had a 2025 Rental Camry earlier this year and was super impressed with it. Great car.

 

My brother just rented one as well, loved it! Liked it better than their little newer Volvo XC60

 

Bought new for 49K OTD, dropped like 6K in mods into it (suspension and C4 bumpers). Sold it for 50K before the recall

 

They appear to be Premium . A couple of my neighbors have them and its a BMW raced drivetrain. They are more utility focused inside than a Mercedes G . My taco has had 2 recalls one for 6 months on the brakes they still don’t have a fix for. The 24 Grenadier has an update ecu flash to get rid of the speeding beep. And the normal 1st year first manufactured type stuff. Everyone I have talked to that owns one loves it.

 

Traded in my Tundra last week…. Feel better about it already. 25 Tacoma TRD Offroad Hybrid.

 

Things I miss:
- passing power was insane on the V6TT
- cabin was massive and extremely comfortable on road trips
- looked nice in stock form
- 35’s felt like stock on that engine
- interior was luxury feeling on the 1794

Why I got rid of it:
- I couldn’t have peace of mind knowing my engine could catastrophically fail during a road trip or 30 miles on a forest road with no service
- turning radius and size was difficult for my outdoor lifestyle
- drank gasoline


Why I got the tacoma:
- I didn’t realize that the midsize is perfect for my lifestyle. Do I want a more spacious comfortable cabin? Yes, but do I want that for daily driving to work and errands in the city? No.
- I trust this engine more than the V6TT. Toyota felt like it was hiding a major design flaw on the Tundra engine hence why hundreds of them were failing.
- The Tacoma looks fierce head on and when nodded it has awesome road presence
- I can build this truck out with piece of mind knowing I’ll probably get more mileage out of this truck and repairs may be cheaper in the long run comparatively aside from the faulty engine


Overall:

I miss the tundra, I won’t lie. But again, had to stay true to what my lifestyle is like currently. I’m young, have a consistent job and live in the city. I don’t have the space for a larger truck and don’t tow anything. The Tacoma fits my lifestyle a whole lot better. It’s a great truck and a joy to drive. It does not feel as refined as the 3rd Gen tundra to me as far as interior and exterior finish. If I could go back, I would test drive a Ranger Raptor to shop side by side with the new Tacoma.